Olympics: Henrik Lundqvist still seeking Cup

Gracious as always, Henrik Lundqvist thanked Sochi, Russia for two "unforgettable" weeks via Twitter with an Instagram collage of him wearing a silver medal alongside the Olympic closing ceremony fireworks.

It took just a minute from the opening faceoff for Lundqvist and Sweden to realize just how gold-worthy Canada was Sunday, Swedish allergy medication doping scandal or not. Lundqvist was forced to make a point-blank save on Patrice Bergeron at 1:00 of the first period and from there, the eventual 3-0 outcome never seemed in doubt.

Canada, elevating its game in the three medal-round games after some disjointed play in the preliminary round, beat Ted Nolan's surprisingly scrappy Latvian squad, 2-1, in the quarterfinals, dominated Team USA, 1-0, in the semifinals and overwhelmed Sweden to defend the gold medal it won at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

In all, Canada and goalie Carey Price finished the Olympics with a shutout streak of 164:19. Sweden may have played without center Nicklas Backstrom on Sunday after he tested positive for a banned substance – which the NHL quickly identified as an allergy medication that would not jeopardize his playing status for the Capitals – as well as captain Henrik Zetterberg, but Canada had lost John Tavares to a season-ending knee injury.

Rick Nash earned a second gold medal with Canada, even if he was relegated to a fourth-line role during the Olympics, and Carl Hagelin, one of Sweden's best-performing forwards, comes home with a silver.

Lundqvist also adds the silver to the gold medal he won at the 2006 Torino Games and returns to New York to again strive for the Stanley Cup he's come within shouting distance of – the Devils eliminated the Rangers from the 2012 Eastern Conference final in six games – just once in his spectacular NHL career.

Lundqvist turns 32 on March 2 and he's already spoken of knowing his window of opportunity for future championships is dwindling. His Olympic career may have ended Sunday if the NHL opts against participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, though he'd likely be Sweden's goalie if the World Cup of Hockey is revived either in two or four years.

Having signed a seven-year extension worth $59.5 million in December, Lundqvist, barring injury, is expected to remain a Ranger through 2021.

Lundqvist, who has won the Vezina Trophy once and been a finalist five times, almost certainly will have Hall of Fame credentials upon retiring. It could be argued he does now, holding the modern-day Olympic record with four shutouts and his 12 Olympic victories ranking second only to the 17 posted by Hall of Famer Vladislav Tretiak of the Soviet Union.

Lundqvist, desperate as he is to win the Stanley Cup, can be considered a great goalie without lifting the Cup. But there's no doubt Lundqvist will consider his career that much emptier if he never wins it.

And, as he's learned, winning the Cup is the hardest task he's faced.

Because that is the toughest test in hockey.

International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had an amusing back-and-forth during a joint news conference in Sochi, with Fasel saying "There is nothing like winning the Olympic gold medal," only to have Bettman interject, "Except perhaps winning the Stanley Cup."

Of the 36 goalies enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, only six never won the Cup, including Tretiak who, of course, never competed for it.

Roy "Shrimp" Worters, who spent the bulk of his career with the New York Americans, never made it to the Stanley Cup Final. The other four – Chuck Rayner and Eddie Giacomin of the Rangers, Tony Esposito and pre-NHL era goalie Percy LeSueur – each played for the Cup.

"I can tell you winning the Stanley Cup is real hard," said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, whose Canucks lost Game 7 to the Bruins in 2011. "Winning the gold for your country is probably hard, too. But winning the Stanley Cup, an 82-game schedule, four tough, grinding playoff rounds, that's tough."